Drive bar for ice bin of ice maker
A refrigeration appliance includes a fresh food compartment and a freezer compartment. An ice maker is disposed within the fresh food compartment for freezing water into ice pieces. The ice maker includes a removable ice bin for storing the ice pieces produced by the ice maker. A rotatable auger is positioned within the removable ice bin and configured to drive the ice pieces out of the removable ice bin via a driving force applied in a first direction. A motor is configured to rotate the auger. A drive bar is coupled to the motor and is configured to apply a resisting force to the removable ice bin along a second direction generally opposed to the first direction sufficient to counteract the driving force, wherein the resisting force is less than a removal force applied by a user to remove the removable ice bin from the ice maker.
1. A refrigeration appliance comprising:
a fresh food compartment for storing food items in a refrigerated environment having a target temperature above zero degrees Centigrade;
a freezer compartment for storing food items in a sub-freezing environment having a target temperature below zero degrees Centigrade;
an ice maker disposed within the fresh food compartment or the freezer compartment for freezing water into ice pieces, the ice maker comprising a removable ice bin for storing the ice pieces produced by the ice maker;
a rotatable auger positioned within the removable ice bin and configured to drive the ice pieces out of the removable ice bin via a driving force applied in a first direction;
a motor configured to rotate the auger; and
a drive bar coupled to the motor and engageable with the rotatable auger, the drive bar configured to apply a resisting force to the removable ice bin along a second direction generally opposed to the first direction sufficient to counteract the driving force, wherein the resisting force is less than a removal force applied by a user to remove the removable ice bin from the ice maker.
2. The refrigeration appliance of claim 1 , wherein the drive bar comprises at least one leg having a recess formed in a surface thereof for engaging the rotatable auger.
3. The refrigeration appliance of claim 1 , wherein the drive bar comprises at least one leg having a chamfered surface for engaging the rotatable auger.
4. The refrigeration appliance of claim 1 , wherein the drive bar comprises at least one leg with an engagement surface for engaging the rotatable auger during insertion of the removable ice bin into the ice maker.
5. The refrigeration appliance of claim 1 , further comprising a cam disposed between the rotatable auger and the drive bar, the cam comprising a slot in a side wall thereof for receiving a distal end of the rotatable auger.
6. The refrigeration appliance of claim 5 , wherein the drive bar comprises at least one leg with an engagement surface for engaging a protrusion formed on an inner wall of the cam during insertion of the removable ice bin into the ice maker.
7. The refrigeration appliance of claim 1 , wherein the drive bar comprises a U-shaped body having two legs, each of said two legs comprising a recess formed in a surface thereof for engaging the rotatable auger.
8. The refrigeration appliance of claim 1 , wherein the drive bar comprises a U-shaped body having two legs, each of said two legs comprising a chamfered surface for engaging the rotatable auger.
9. The refrigeration appliance of claim 1 , wherein at least one leg of the drive bar provides the resisting force sufficient to counteract the driving force of the rotatable auger.
10. The refrigeration appliance of claim 1 , wherein the freezer compartment is disposed at an elevation vertically below the fresh food compartment.
11. The refrigeration appliance of claim 1 , wherein the freezer compartment is disposed laterally next to the fresh food compartment.